<hr>


    The next day, Peter arrived in the Arena at a quarter to nine and level eighty-three. After training with Redroar, she had manipulated him into “taking alive” a group of Bounty Hunters that were hunting freedom fighters and behaved like borderline bandits. The taking went well, but the alive, not so much.


    I’m kinda fed up with killing people, Peter thought. And all the adventuring, nonstop, day after day… He had slept late and read a good book to clear his mind, but the stress, anticipation, and tension remained. He felt tired.


    <Fafnir taking control of comms. Good news. Li has visited the Control Floor. The ring is attuned. As you know, he keeps it on a chain at his neck. We’ll try to snatch it by phasing during the demonstrative match. If we succeed, you can retire and forget about fighting. If not, at least you will have his confidence, and a plan to steal the ring could be devised later.>


    “Great news,” Peter exclaimed, cheering up.


    The gong signaled he was required to go into the Arena, and he followed the marks. The turns on the corridor were different, and as he exited the open space, he realized the stadium was another one: the combat space smaller, the stalls bigger, more ornate, a sort of Colloseum on steroids. And it was brimming with people. He could see Regina and most of his friends in the first row. He raised his right hand to wave at her but caught his wrist in time with his right hand. Fafnir growled.


    Peter''s adversary was a slim man of uncertain age, with blue-gray hair, eyes, skin, and likewise blandly colored clothes, following the body''s movements. Maybe it was speciesism, but every male cultivator in battle robes looked the same to Peter. The cultivator had a heavy saber in one hand and a fingerless glove over the other. Probably a magic-enhancing artifact. Peter produced his spear, making it into a short assegai.


    Li’s qi-voice announced: "The Final between Grandmaster Boo and Impulse the Bounty Hunter is about to begin. This match has no time limit and ends only with one adversary yielding or incapacitated. Everything is permitted except for ranged attacks and flying. Prepare yourself. Three… two… one… Begin!"


    The crowd erupted in a raucous noise. Some were yelling Impulse’s name, the others: “Boo, Boo.” Due to the cultivator’s name, there was no way to say if they were booing or cheering.


    The Cultivator ran forward, flourishing his sword. Peter Warped behind the other, thrusting with his spear. He had planned to stab his foe in the shoulder while in Phase, but the move failed. Once Peter was back in the normal dimension, Boo blocked the attack—now a normal thrust—with his back turned, raising his sword, then somersaulted and faced Peter, taking a defensive stance. Having an advantage in reach, Peter started a flurry of jabs, aiming for the Cultivator''s members. The saber wielder struggled to match Peter''s speed and the feints his dexterity produced.


    Happy to see the Cultivator bleeding, Peter pressed on. After all, it was better to finish quickly. Blinded by adrenaline, it was only when he began to feel dizzy that he heard Fafnir''s voice screaming: <Retreat! Retreat!> He Warped back to the edge of the Arena.


    You have been inflicted with heterochiralic DOT. -5% HP/second.


    The HUD showed his health was at half.


    "What the fuck?" Peter hissed.


    <Stay away from him. His aura is messing with your amino acids—"


    ENGLISH! Peter yelled in his mind, jumping again to stay out of the Cultivator''s reach.


    <DEATH MAGIC! He''s using death magic!>


    "The fuck?"


    An influx of energy went through his body, and his health increased. In public, Regina was feeding a health pill to a Peter doll. It was cheating, but he didn’t really care.


    <System here. Bad news from Naomi. She says one of the bosses of the Trade faction is a Death Magic user. Chances are he''s the one.>


    Give me the good news.


    <Fafnir here. Even worse news: Your True Aura is worthless against him. And the worst news is I just detected the Arena''s wards going down. Trade bribed the arbiters. They want revenge for Wu and his friends.>


    Meanwhile, the cultivator was laughing like a maniac, running after Peter, who was jumping from one end of the Arena to the other. Seeing his efforts were futile, Boo changed tactics, stomping his foot on the ground. A burst of smoke erupted, filling the Arena with a very thin haze.


    You are inflicted with Mana Siphoning DOT (-2%/second). You are inflicted with Mind Debuff (Intelligence, Will, Concentration, -50%).


    "OK, gloves off!" Peter sneered. He Warped behind the Cultivator, trying to push his spear into the man''s chest this time. The skill took twice as long to activate, and the Death Magic user dodged away. Peter pressed on. His close-quarters type of Warp, Phase, hit into an obstacle, feeling like a gelatinous soup. The Cultivator had enveloped himself in a sort of invisible protection.


    Fighting against the sensation, Peter Phased a third time and pushed his spear onward, but Boo evaded yet again. Meanwhile, the DOTs have reduced Peter’s health to forty-five percent Health and thirty-nine percent Mana.


    <CHARISMA+TERRAVOLT+PHASE!>


    Peter understood. He pushed all his points in Charisma, unlocking the cap Perk, then roared.


    Battlefield Call activated. Enemies are stunned for 3 seconds. You have Invulnerability for 3 seconds.


    Boo gasped and remained still. Peter’s debuff disappeared, allowing his stats to regain their full potential. Terravolt! Peter''s mind screamed.


    This time, he used no spikes. Hands made of sand grabbed the Cultivator''s ankles, delivering an electric shock. Peter let his spear fall and Phased. His hand thrust into the man''s chest, grabbing the core, just as his Battlefield Call ended. Instinctively stepping back, the Cultivator delivered a cutting swipe to Peter''s neck, hitting just below the helmet''s edge.


    Both fell backward. Peter pulled his hand out of Boo’s body on the way down. His Strength was augmented, but his Health was nearly zero. Screams erupted from the stalls.


    Something was amiss with Peter. A lot of pain, and his eyes looking at the arena behind him, an impossible position. A fountain of blood sprayed out from his neck; he could see it arch like a fountain.


    You have suffered a lethal hit. HP 0.15%... HP 0.5%... HP 0.01%... HP 1%... HP 0.6%


    "Bll… dbck…" he gurgled an attempt at What the fuck, but the air was not reaching his mouth, exiting through its severed trachea. All kinds of strange sensations assaulted them. The desire to sleep, something pulling at his body and trying to snatch it away—somehow, he knew it was the Rezz Bead—while something else pulled at his head and wounds, a stinging sensation.


    Your Luck has activated, canceling the requirements for the Constitution Cap Perk. Due to proximity to your friends, your Constitution is now 105 (+40). Grievous Wounds Survival activated. Your Mana Body will replace any harmed part, sustaining your life for up to one minute.


    <Don''t move so much… Your neck has been slit. Regina''s sewing it back on the doll.>


    So that''s why the sting sensations…


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He was on the verge of fainting when a shadow approached. Li—under his arbiter disguise—landed nearby. The grandmaster grabbed Peter''s hand, squeezing his fingers over the dead cultivator''s core. The young man felt an intense but brief shock, and then the core gradually diminished.


    You have learned the skill Consume Core.


    You are restored to 99% HP and 99% MP.


    <Dude really wants to fight you,> Fafnir said. <That’s to our advantage. He’ll be easily distracted.>


    "The winner is Impulse, the Bounty Hunter!” Li bellowed a qi-message. The crowd erupted in applause.


    Peter used his core muscles to jump up in a standing position. “T''was only a flesh wound!" he yelled and raised his hands over his head, waving at the crowd.


    The roars of the public rose to deafening levels, chanting his nickname over and over again: “Im-pulse, Im-pulse!”


    "Due to the wards malfunctioning, Cultivator Boo is no longer with us. I will check the wards myself. This is a serious matter," Li declared and zapped away.


    You have slain Grandmaster Boo, Champion of Death Magic. You have leveled x5 and received 15 free APs. Your duel has been watched by over one billion viewers, Floors 1-3 combined. You have earned the title of Showman. Your Charisma Charming checks will have double the chance of success.


    You have unlocked Minor Healing (novice) in the Water Elemental Affinity. You won’t be able to unlock more skills or spells in this domain.


    “Goodness, this is a mess...” Peter looked around. He had stepped into his own blood, or maybe both, because Boo had bled a lot too.


    "At the moment, transportation is suspended. Please remain seated," a qi-voice announced. “The demonstrative match will proceed as planned.”


    <There is news. As you know, since you killed Wu, the Trade faction has entered radio silence. No communication whatsoever. Remember we theorized they got scared and went underground?>


    Peter grimaced, feeling the urge to scratch his beard stub but having no way to do it. The flying cameras and the crowd made any attempt to raise his visor impossible. As for the Trade faction, the truth was he hadn''t paid much attention to the few discussions his friends had, dozing off and trying to regain his forces.


    <It turns out their quietness was only the lull before the storm. During your match, there was a hit on Melinda, an assassin. Shredder disposed of him.>


    “Is she OK?” Peter hissed. C’mon, stop already! Peter’s mind begged the public, who continued applauding with the same intensity, with no sign of relenting.


    <Yes. The wards and the attack happening simultaneously are not a coincidence. This must’ve been the Trade’s new plan: bet all on one decisive strike.  Kill you and Melinda while Li pretends to be an arbiter.


    <Honor would have obliged Li to stay and fight in the demonstrative match, where Boo would have taken advantage of his distress. More news. Melinda called her father to tell him about the attempt on her life. Li’s currently at her mansion. They… ew… cry in each other arms. Shredder is licking their faces. Ew… Our plan is on a good track, though. If Li begins hanging around her more, we’ll have many opportunities to steal the ring.>


    "Uhuh," Peter said, waving again at the public. “I don’t think they’ll stop cheering as long I’m here. Let’s go to the locker room. Is there a way to visit Regina during the break?”


    <Affirmative. I took control of every security camera and sensor in the Arena. Change clothes,  Stealth, and follow the route I’ll mark on the minimap until you join the public.>


    "If you say so…"


    The crowd continued their ovations until he entered the tunnel to the locker room. Changing as fast as possible, he followed a maze of tunnels until he entered the stalls through a janitor''s room.  Soon, he reached his group. Everybody saluted him and cheered, but he had eyes only for one person. Regina jumped into his arms, squeezing herself to his chest.


    "I love you," he said.


    "I love you so much," she began crying. “I was so afraid…”


    <Bah. You would have Rezzed.>


    Go away. This is a private moment!


    <Fafnir out.>


    <hr>


    An hour later—after an awful interlude of Cultivator Rock bands—Peter was back in the arena.


    <Fafnir taking control of comms. There’s a Dome of Silence spell activated around you.>


    By you?


    <No. It must be—>


    “I apologize for the ward''s incident,” Li said, zapping down. I should have known the Mercantiles would try to cheat. No worries. I’ll put them first on your targets list. And it will be a long one…” Li hissed.


    “How are we going to do this?” Peter asked.


    “Hm…” Li walked his fingers through his beard. “What about this: one random round, one in which I pick whatever I want, and one in which you pick something? We’ll go through the third round even after I’ll win the first two. For fun.”


    “You seem pretty sure of yourself,” Peter frowned. Shit, I keep forgetting I have a helmet… Frown wasted.


    “You almost died to Boo. I’m much stronger than he was. Anything to add? If not, I’ll cancel the Silence spell, and we can battle,” Li rubbed his hands.


    “Let’s do it,” Peter said, feeling his heart beating hard in his throat.


    A ring of six arbiters appeared above the scene, one holding a wizard-type pointy hat. Another shoved his hand inside and pulled up a piece of paper. “The rules for the first round are: Hand to hand combat. No magic. The winner will be whoever makes his adversary’s shoulders hit the ground. Three… Two… One… Begin!"


    There was a grimace of displeasure on the Grandmaster''s face. However, Li dashed forward faster than a blink. Peter remained in place, not moving a muscle. The two collided, grabbing at each other’s arms.


    The Cultivator grinned. "Just in case you want to cheat and claim some bounty on my head, know I''m immune to the Fist of Death. My skin is impenetrable."


    With a flicker of his wrists, Li threw Peter in the air. The young man flew over a hundred feet, hitting the Arena wall with his back and falling on his knees. If the wall wouldn’t have been behind to support him, Peter would have collapsed face down. He had trouble breathing and was sure a few ribs were cracked. His Health was at thirty percent.


    <That must have hurt…>


    How the hell is he so strong? I’m capped in Strength, after all.


    <Hundreds of years of experience. And the ring at his neck amplifies his Strength twelvefold.>


    “That’s cheating…”


    <He must’ve forgotten about it.>


    “I don’t think so. He cheats because he’s weak at hand-to-hand combat…”


    <It doesn’t matter. Expect a more normal approach from now on. If he wins too easily, there’s no show. Let’s keep our eyes open for an opportunity to grab the ring.>


    “System, tell Regina not to heal me. Let’s play on the Strength in Low Numbers… That jerk may take me down, but not without a fight.”


    <Aknowledged,> the System said. <Giving comms back to Faf.>


    <Sir Fafnir, for you, little punk! I’m way older than you.>


    Peter growled, pushing his hands on his trembling knees to raise up, then stepped back toward the center of the Arena, taking his time to regain concentration. Li met him at half the distance. A flurry of kicks and hits began, each trying to break through the other defenses. The speed of the fight was tremendous, and Peter’s Intelligence perk barely coped with it.


    <His Dexterity is very high. Yet his unenhanced Strength must be really low… Typical Cultivator build. I suggest playing dirty. You hit the floor. Chivalry demands he’ll offer a hand. When he pulls you up, you snatch the ring.>


    Better plan. We pull a pirate trick.


    Despite Li’s enhanced Strength, Peter’s health was still in the high twenties. “You hit like a girl,” Peter taunted, raising an arm to parry an incoming jab to the jaw.


    That left his body open, and Li profited to send a hook in his hurt ribs. That meant the cultivator had the means to detect Peter’s weak points, but that didn’t matter.


    HPs at 13%. Strength in Low Numbers activated. STR x 3.


    Struggling to keep his wits together and ignore the burning in his chest, Peter pretended to exhale in pain and spat in Li’s eyes. At the same time, his right foot arched behind his opponent’s ankle, and he shoved the cultivator with all his new Strength. A small dust cloud erupted when Li’s shoulders hit the ground.


    <NOW! GRAB THE—>


    Peter’s hand rushed toward Li’s neck, but the Grandmaster zapped away, reappearing at the other end of the Arena, an expression of befuddlement on his face.


    <A PIG’S FART!” Fafnir cursed. <This was so close… Good plan, Peter. Don’t be disheartened. We’ll get it next time.>


    I’m OK, don’t worry. Taught that asshole a lesson.


    “T-the first r-round g-goes t-to Impulse the B-bounty H-hunter,” an arbiter qi-voice stuttered.


    Li reappeared next to Peter, frowning. “You won fair and square, but hitting a man while he’s down is low.”


    “Is that a pun?” Peter asked sincerely. “Down, low?”


    “You’re mocking me? Very well. For the next round, I chose everything goes,” Li sneered. “Do you need a break?”


    <You seem to have made Li lose his temper.>


    “I’m fine,” Peter hissed back. “Do you? I heard senior citizens need to pee often.”


    A unanimous gasp ran in the public, who had been coy to applaud Impulse’s win, probably due to Li’s status.


    “Count,” Li said to the arbiters above, teleporting to the opposite corner of the Arena.


    “Three… Two… One… Begin!"


    A wall of blue fire and light shot from Li’s body, slowly advancing toward Peter. Yard after yard, it enveloped the whole Arena.


    <He’s showing off what he can do in a real fight. Bad news. You won’t be able to Warp in there. His Lightning control is terrific. Yield. If that touches you, you’re history. No Rezz can save you from total deconstruction.>


    “That sucks,” Peter mumbled. “Everything seems to mess with my Warp and Rezz.”


    <Only until your Elemental Affinities and Warp get to the top tier. Don’t be a kid. The objective is to steal the ring, not to beat him.>


    "I yield!" Peter yelped. The heat was scorching even with the wall of light at a hundred feet. "I yield!" he repeated as the attack was still advanced. Li stopped it ten feet from Peter, and the young man felt he was cooking in his armor like a chicken in an oven.


    "The second round goes to Master Li,” a qi-voice said.


    “I need a break,” Peter shouted in the air. His health was still low after the first round.


    “There will be a ten-minute break,” an arbiter said after Li nodded his approval.


    <Your next round is for you to choose. If you choose hand-to-hand and win again, we might get the ring. However, if you fail and Li’s annoyed, he could disintegrate you. I suggest you lose on purpose. Let’s befriend him and steal the ring when he’s more relaxed.>


    "I agree,” Peter said in a low voice. “I have a plan, and I need you to go with it. Let’s talk in the locker room.”